President Obama Visits Jordan

On March 22, 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama headed to Jordan for the final stop on the first foreign trip of his second term. He was greeted at Al-Hummar Palace in Amman by King Abdullah II and his son, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah. The President and the King held a bilateral meeting, in which they discussed several issues of importance to both countries, including the ongoing conflict in Syria.

During a joint press conference, President Obama praised Jordan for its close cooperation on regional issues, remarking that, "His Majesty was the first Arab leader to publicly call on Assad to step down because of the horrific violence that was being inflicted on the Syrian people. Jordan has played a leading role in trying to begin a political transition toward a new government. We're working together to strengthen a credible Syrian opposition."

President Obama also announced support for those affected by the conflict in Syria. President Obama said, "Every day Jordanians are extending a hand of support to neighbors far from home, but this is a heavy burden. And the international community needs to step up to make sure that they are helping to shoulder this burden. The United States will certainly do our part. We are already the single largest donor of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. Some of this has helped people here in Jordan, and today I'm announcing that my administration will work with Congress to provide Jordan with an additional $200 million in budget support this year, as it cares for Syrian refugees and Jordanian communities affected by this crisis."

Today, President Obama wrapped up his visit to the Middle East with a tour of Jordan's ancient city of Petra. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. View photos of the President's entire trip here.

Comments

Comments

Bruce W.

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Utah, USA

April 5, 2013

Bruce W., USAF (Ret.) in Utah writes:

I recently submitted a recommendaton for the President's consideration. This proposal could potentially save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. These savings could be used to return flying hours to units tasked under the US Nuclear Triad so they could be prepared to face the incrreasingly threatening rhetoric from North Korea. I submitted this info to David Simas at the White House and did not receive a reply. I hope he is in fact loyal to his boss. I believe the President may be interested in this proposal. It is low impact with huge savings for the government and the President. He could use these saved monies to help fund some of his proposals in his SOTU address a few months ago.